Young Noble Be Monster Slaying

Chapter 170: A Hunting Hou

"A third-realm cultivator? A genius?"

A figure clad in robust armor and a face mask emerged, bearing two long sabers crossed on his back. His eyes, the sole visible features, conveyed a perplexing blend of confusion and scorn.

"Don't underestimate him. Even though he is at the third realm of cultivation and this level isn't considered very high, he was able to reach the state of Perfect Qi Circulation, which shocked many at Mount Shu," said a crow that was currently perched on his outstretched right arm.

Even though the masked man had heard what the crow said, he still sneered and said, "Cool."

The crow continued explaining, "Plus, he has a spirit beast, a Golden-Furred Hou, that is at the fifth realm of cultivation. You mustn't underestimate him."

The masked man took another glance at the sketch of Chu Liang in his hands.

After memorizing the appearance, he gently shook his hand, and the paper turned into countless shreds, drifting away with the wind.

"Just lead the way," the masked man requested.

The crow spread its wings, emitting two hoarse calls, and the masked man followed closely, riding the wind.

After a while, they arrived at the Black Whale Mountain.

Once again, the crow reminded, "He's in that valley, shrouded in thick fog. Be careful."

"Isn't that even better for an ambush?" chuckled the masked man. "He's just a third-realm cultivator. I can take him down in an instant. The spirit beast won't even have time to react."

"Keep me informed," the crow added before suddenly exploding into a burst of black feathers and transforming into a puddle of ink that splattered on the ground. It turned out that this crow was not a real living creature.

With a swift leap, the masked man descended from the air and landed on the ground.

His codename was Dual Wielder, a specialized assassin within the organization. In the realm of assassin cultivation, he regarded himself as at the pinnacle of this world.

He couldn't quite grasp why he was assigned to eliminate a third-realm cultivator. Perhaps that youngster possessed extraordinary qualities and was someone highly valued by the Mount Shu Sect.

The mysterious leader of the organization harbored a deep-seated grudge against the Mount Shu Sect. After decades of scheming, he gathered a group of orphans who had endured suffering inflicted by the Mount Shu Sect and established the current organization.

Take Dual Wielder, for instance; his father was just a local tyrant, engaged in commonplace bullying, pillaging, and violence to survive. One day, disciples from the Mount Shu Sect showed up at his doorstep and brutally beat him to death.

These disciples of the Mount Shu Sect were merciless.

Most of the people in the organization shared similar backgrounds, entangled in shady dealings in their daily lives while concurrently scheming to undermine the Mount Shu Sect.

In the blink of an eye, the masked assassin landed in the thick fog of the valley. As he entered the edge of the dense mist, a figure not far away caught his attention.

The youth perfectly matched the features and stature depicted in the drawing. Behind him stood a massive creature, presumably the fifth-realm Golden-Furred Hou.

It seemed like an effortless job.

A smirk graced Dual Wielder's lips. The moment he landed on the ground, he transformed into a shadow with a glinting blac light. A chilling aura pierced through the thick fog.

Swish—

His shadow sliced through the ethereal silhouette of the youth in the dense mist.

The Dual Wielder used the technique Shadow Slash.

And with that, Dual Wielder left without looking back. He had executed a lethal strike and retreated a thousand li away. So what if Chu Liang was protected by a spirit beast at the fifth realm?

I can kill you instantly and retreat safely even before your spirit beast arrives. No difficulty at all. The Dual Wielder thought to himself.

The youth stood frozen in place, as if under a petrification spell. After a pause, a circle of blood lines spread from his waist. Following that, his upper body slumped down.

During the descent, a flash of light appeared, and both his upper and lower halves of the body transformed into an inhuman shape.

As the youth crashed on the ground, a sudden flash of light illuminated the scene. His upper and lower parts of his body underwent a rapid, profound transformation, assuming a shape utterly unlike that of a human.

It was the body of a fox.

The Golden-Furred Hou finally caught up. It approached the corpse and sniffed around.

No. Wrong person. The Golden-Furred Hou concluded.

It shook its large head and returned to the thick fog to search for Chu Liang, leaving behind a crime scene as if nothing had happened.

...

Bang!

With no time to dodge this suddenly swinging club, Chu Liang could only wrap himself in a zongzi and brace for the impact.

The zongzi was instantly sent several dozen zhang away, disappearing into the mist.

Nevertheless, the Old White Ape followed closely after the sound.

Having practiced martial arts for many years, it could lock onto the enemy's position based on the slightest rustle of the wind or the most subtle breath. This was its extraordinary skill!

Yet, as it pursued, it didn't detect a sound nor a trace of breath.

What's going on? Where did he go? The Old White Ape wondered.

Just as confusion crept into the Old White Ape's mind, a faint sound reached its ears, prompting it to swing the club immediately.

But the Old White Ape found that it was a small copper ball thrown at him, and as he struck it, the copper ball exploded with a thunderous bang!

The intense explosion dispersed a large portion of the mist. It not only sent the Old White Ape flying but also shook its mind, as if struck by a heavy hammer. An inexplicable fear suddenly overcame it.

It was the Shadowburst Thunder Bomb!

Chu Liang then stood up.

It turned out that, while wrapping himself in the green leaf, he assessed the current situation and immediately ingested an Essence-Concealing Pill.

As he ingested the Essence-Concealing Pill and held his breath, the Old White Ape could not locate him at all in this thick fog. It was only then that Chu Liang successfully launched the surprise attack with this Shadowburst Thunder Bomb.

The thick fog around them dispersed. The Old White Ape had fallen and Chu Liang remained standing. They could finally see each other clearly.

"Little thief!" The Old White Ape roared in anger.

It had finally overcome the lingering fear in its heart.

It propped up its large club and suddenly bounced up, charging at Chu Liang once again.

Upon seeing this, Chu Liang immediately recognized the movement technique that the Old White Ape was using. It was the Turbulent Stream Movement Art, the same one that Yun Chaoxian had taught him.

While not a high-level technique, this martial arts technique yielded vastly different outcomes when executed by practitioners of the third and fourth realms. The variance in their cultivation levels led to a substantial gap in speed.

If Chu Liang had escaped using the Turbulent Stream Movement Art, he would likely be caught by the Old White Ape in an instant.

If he had decided to fight, a collision with the club wielded by the Old White Ape could cause his bones to shatter and his tendons to snap, potentially resulting in immediate death.

As of now, he couldn't escape and he couldn't win.

What should I do? He thought to himself.

Chu Lian raised his hand, and once again, the green light flashed, initiating another defensive process.

The Old White Ape sneered as it thought to itself. How many times can you use this trick? I will shatter this enchanted tool within three or five strikes!"

However, in the next moment, it realized it was wrong. This time, the green light didn't envelop Chu Liang. Instead, the Old White Ape found itself wrapped up in the zongzi.

Indeed. As the green leaf enchanted tool curled around, it suddenly wrapped the Old White Ape around. The Old White Ape immediately raised its large club, attempting to force its way out of the zongzi.

But with just a slight delay, thunderous explosions rang in its ears.

Boom! Boom! The explosion sounded like two suppressed thunderclaps.

The explosion sounded muffled this time as they happened inside the zongzi.

The Old White Ape had only encountered two explosions, one more than its previous experience. However, as these explosions occurred within the zongzi, the impact the White Ape felt this time surpassed the magnitude of the first explosion by over a dozen times.

Regrettably, the explosion also inflicted cracks upon the green leaf artifact. Anguished by the damage to his tool, Chu Liang withdrew the green light. With a soft thud, a charred white ape collapsed to the ground, its eyes shut in unconsciousness.

It looked like a black ape.

Still, Chu Liang remained vigilant.

If he had killed a demonic creature, there would have been golden light floating towards him. But at this moment, there was nothing, indicating that the Old White Ape had not died.

He summoned the Dustless Sword, and it flew towards the charred ape, leaving behind a trail of white light. With the sword, he probed the ape's chest, stomach, and lower body to determine if it was alive.

With the sword probing, the white ape could no longer feign death. It flipped over and sent the Dustless Sword flying with a swing of its club.

Severely injured and deeply traumatized by the Shadowburst Thunder Bombs, the ape had no intention of fighting. It flipped over and attempted to escape.

If it could escape, it planned to return to its sect and seek support from its sect members. It no longer cared if doing so would reveal this location filled the treasures of nature. Even if it had to abandon all the treasures, it was determined to find and seek revenge against this little thief!

Coincidentally, at this moment, a roar resounded. The Golden-Furred Hou saw its master and rushed over with earth-shaking steps. It was at this moment that the white ape jumped out and collided head-on with the Big Head emerging from the thick fog.

Crunch!

The Golden-Furred Hou sank its teeth into the Old White Ape.

Among all the threats around Chu Liang capable of penetrating the white ape's defenses, the fangs of the Golden-Furred Hou stood out as the most formidable.

"Ah!" The Old White Ape shrieked in agony. Its eyes were filled with resentment as it realized that escape was now impossible.

It plucked a strand of hair from its fur and spat a mouthful of blood out as it tossed the single strand of hair upward.

Swish!

That hair transformed into a streak of white light and flew away.

When Chu Liang saw that the White Ape was about to be bitten to death, he raised his middle finger and index finger. The Dustless Sword then swept through with its brilliance and pierced through the white ape's throat.

Only then did a golden light descend around Chu Liang.

"You did an awesome job." Chu Liang walked over and gave the Golden-Furred Hou a pat on its head. He showered it with tremendous praise for its timely intervention and for the impressive control it showed in biting without causing fatal harm.

The Golden-Furred Hou was now considered a qualified hunting Hou.

With the death of the Old White Ape, the surrounding mist dispersed instantly. At the mouth of the valley, there was also a strong scent of blood, indicating that a battle had taken place there as well.

Only then did Lin Bei, who had been absent for a while, hastily emerge. He looked at the fallen white ape and then glanced at Chu Liang, exhaling a sigh of relief.

"That was a close call, but thankfully, everything ended well," he remarked with a grin. "My brother Chu Liang's strength is truly remarkable!"